631 Days of Genocide: June 29th Newsletter
Israel blocks Civil Defence teams from recovering bodies in northern Gaza
“The Palestinian Civil Defence has said that Israeli forces continue to refuse entry to their teams into the “Golden Hall” area in the north-west of the Gaza Strip to recover the bodies of martyrs.
In a press statement received by the Palestinian Information Centre, the Civil Defence explained that it is still awaiting a response from the Israeli army to its second request—submitted through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)—to allow access to the Al-Sudaniya area and retrieve the bodies being held there.
It noted that Israeli forces allowed access to the area last Wednesday, enabling the recovery of 15 martyrs, five days after carrying out a deadly attack that claimed the lives of dozens of young men waiting for aid.
However, the statement added, “️But until now, the occupation continues to deny our teams re-entry to the area to recover the remaining pure bodies.”
The civil defence also reported that Israeli authorities are rejecting further coordination requests to locate and rescue two missing women. One of them, from the Salem family, went missing at the entrance of the Beit Lahia housing project. The other, from the Attar family, was last seen near Abu Tammam School in Beit Lahia.
The civil defence strongly condemned Israel’s obstinacy and its disregard for human dignity, which international humanitarian law obliges all parties to uphold.
It called on international humanitarian and human rights organisations to pressure the Israeli authorities to allow the retrieval of the bodies, so that their families can bury them with dignity.”
Via Middle East Monitor.
Mahmoud Khalil vows to continue to ‘speak up for Palestine’ after release
“Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil has pledged to continue protesting Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as the United States’s support for Israel’s military operations.
Khalil, who was released on Friday night after being detained for more than three months at a detention centre, told reporters at New Jersey’s Newark International Airport on Saturday that the government was funding “this [Gaza] genocide, and Columbia University is investing in this genocide”.
“This is why I will continue to protest with every one of you. Not only if they threaten me with detention. Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine,” he said.
“Whether you are a citizen, an immigrant, anyone in this land, you’re not illegal. That doesn’t make you less of a human.””
More from Al Jazeera.
Italian journalists denounce Israeli crimes against Gaza reporters
Italian journalists and media professionals gathered on Sunday evening in Rome’s Porta San Giovanni Square to denounce Israeli crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
Demonstrators displayed photographs of journalists killed during the Israeli war on Gaza, urging respect for international law. They called for immediate international intervention to halt the extermination war in the Gaza Strip, demand Israel’s withdrawal, and ensure the swift entry of humanitarian aid coordinated by the United Nations and other international organizations.
In a statement released during the protest, participants described the events unfolding in Gaza as genocide, claiming that Israel has killed 226 journalists—an unprecedented number in history, surpassing even the toll recorded during some of the deadliest conflicts of the 20th century.
The protestors emphasised that through the courage and sacrifices of these colleagues, the world has come to know what is truly happening in the Strip, especially as Israel is preventing international media from accessing Gaza, in addition to its deadly attacks on Palestinian journalists and their families.
Via Middle East Monitor.
Israel bans entry into Al-Aqsa Mosque “again” until further notice
“The Israeli occupation police closed on Sunday morning Al-Aqsa Mosque again and banned Muslim worshippers from entry “until further notice”.
Eyewitnesses said the Israeli occupation police allowed only employees, workers, and guards to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, following new instructions from the Israeli Home Front Command.
The re-closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque comes three days after a partial closure accompanied by limiting the number of worshippers to 500. On Friday 13 June, Israel closed the mosque, coinciding with the start of its aggression against Iran.
On Saturday evening, Israeli occupation police raided all Al-Aqsa prayer halls, the Civil Status Office responsible for guards, and the fire department in the Dome of the Rock courtyard, searching them and destroying their contents.
The Israeli occupation police threw copies of the Quran on the ground during their raid on the Al-Aqsa prayer halls, under the pretext of searching the Quran storage rooms.
Four Al-Aqsa Mosque guards were arrested namely Mohammed Arabash, Ramzi Al-Za’anin, Basem Abu Jumaa, and Iyad Odeh but were released after being interrogated.
The four were banned from entering the mosque for a week, subject to renewal.”
Via Middle East Monitor.
Mother in Germany separated from one-year-old son over Palestinian activism
A Palestinian-Jordanian woman with German residency was separated from her one-year-old after German authorities deemed the child a security threat, she and her lawyers say.
The European Legal Support Centre, which is supporting her case, say the woman is the latest victim of the German state’s weaponisation of residency issues to repress Palestinian solidarity.
Since 2019, the Amsterdam-based legal advocacy group has documented at least 22 incidents in Germany in which residency status or restrictions to freedom of movement have been used to stifle such solidarity.
“The German state systematically exploits residence, asylum and citizenship law to punish already marginalised communities,” said an ELSC spokesperson.
“There is no justification for separating a newborn from his parents, yet to label the child a ‘security threat’ marks a grotesque new low, even by their own oppressive standards."
A trained nurse, Dima* moved from Jordan to Germany in 2017 for work, and was joined four years later by her husband. In 2023, they had their first child.
[…]
Dima has been told by authorities that she is being investigated because of her alleged involvement with Palestinian solidarity groups, including Samidoun Deutschland, an organisation that Germany banned in November 2023.
More from Middle East Eye.
British Medical Association Adopts Policy on Antisemitism
via Ahmed Sewehli on Twitter
Great news from the British Medical Association’s annual conference. It is now BMA policy that condemning Israel is not antisemitic per se, that students and medics should be able to advocate for Palestine without harassment by universities and trusts, and condemns اsraeا for killing health workers and bombing facilities and calls for accountability at ICJ and ICC. The conference calls for the immediate release of all detained health workers in Israel.
Israel’s ban on entry of medical supplies to Gaza, threatens lives of hundreds of newborns
“Dr Asaad Al-Nawajaa said Monday that tens of newborn babies in the Gaza Strip are at imminent risk due to Israel’s ban on the entry of essential medical supplies including baby formula.
A majority of the babies are receiving medical care at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where the medical staff faces a severe shortage of incubators and medical supplies, threatening the lives of tens of newborn babies and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Dr Al-Nawajaa explained that Israel’s ban on the entry of food and medical supplies, especially baby formula (1) and (2), has severe repercussions on the health of babies under six months old who are completely dependent on this type of formula.
He added that the severe shortage of baby formula also risks them contracting many diseases, such as gastroenteritis and respiratory illnesses and called for the urgent provision of milk to hospitals.
Hospitals in the Gaza Strip have repeatedly warned of an imminent health disaster threatening thousands of newborns due to the depletion of all types of milk. Meanwhile, Al-Rantisi Hospital issued an urgent appeal after its milk supply ran out, despite receiving dozens of children daily suffering from malnutrition and poor absorption.
The risks increase as mothers suffer from malnutrition and the inability to breastfeed, where official data indicates that 60 deaths have been recorded so far due to hunger and malnutrition among children of various ages.”
Via Middle East Monitor.
More than 200 illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection
“More than 200 illegal Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli police, authorities said Wednesday.
Anonymous sources from the Islamic Endowment Department said 217 illegal Israeli settlers raided the holy site.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a local rights group, said 124 settlers stormed the mosque in the morning, and 93 broke into the site later in the day.
The settlers performed Talmudic rituals within the courtyards under the protection of Israeli forces, the Wafa news agency in Palestine reported.
The settler raid came after the reopening of the mosque following 12 days of it being closed due to a state of emergency that Israel implemented during its attacks on Iran.”
More from Andalou.
Palestine Action instructs lawyers to fight bid to proscribe group as ‘terrorist organisation’
“Palestine Action has formally instructed a legal team to challenge the UK Home Secretary’s unprecedented move to proscribe the direct-action group as a terrorist organisation. The legal response is being spearheaded by human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce of Birnberg Peirce Solicitors, with support from Kellys Solicitors.
The Home Secretary’s plan, first leaked to the press earlier this month, would place Palestine Action alongside groups such as Daesh and National Action under the Terrorism Act 2000. If passed, the proscription would criminalise public support for or association with the group. Critics say it amounts to political repression aimed at shielding Israel’s largest arms firm, Elbit Systems.
Since its founding in 2020, Palestine Action has launched high-profile campaigns targeting UK-based Elbit Systems sites. Activists have occupied factories, blockaded entrances and disrupted operations in what they describe as non-violent resistance to British complicity in Israeli war crimes. Elbit Systems produces weapons used in Israel’s attacks on Gaza and is directly implicated in alleged offences under the International Criminal Court Act 2003.
The proscription effort follows lobbying from pro-Israel organisations. “For years, pro-Israel lobby groups, the Israeli government and Elbit Systems have been lobbying for repressive treatment of Palestine Action” said the group on its fundraising page. “Just days before government sources told the press of their intentions to ban the direct-action group, ‘We Believe in Israel’ released a report and ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’ wrote to the Home Secretary asking for her to proscribe us.””
More from Middle East Monitor.
As Gaza starves, GoFundMe accused of blocking ‘millions of dollars’ raised
“GoFundMe has been accused of blocking “millions of dollars” of life-saving aid from reaching Gaza.
Charity leaders, activists and desperate Palestinians in Gaza have condemned the crowdfunding website for shutting down or blocking withdrawals for Palestine-related fundraising pages – and have accused bosses of having “blood on their hands”.
Despite questions from Al Jazeera, the company has not revealed the amount of money raised on its platform for Gaza that has been frozen in its system or has been refunded to donors.
But it has told Al Jazeera that more than $300m has been raised on the platform for both Palestinians and Israelis since Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023 and the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Hala Sabbah, the founder of mutual aid group The Sameer Project, said that in September, more than $250,000 of donations to her organisation was refunded.
The London-based NGO-sector worker described the closure of her GoFundMe page as a “disaster” for her group’s efforts to provide emergency aid in the enclave.
The Sameer Project runs a camp for displaced people in Deir el-Balah, providing healthcare and essentials to its residents – paid for by money that, until now, had been raised through GoFundMe, totalling more than $1m. It also funds food, water, shelter and clothing for people across Gaza.
Sabbah said she was “treated like scum” by GoFundMe, despite her group’s pages raising about $44,000 for it in transaction fees.
“Our GoFundMe page had daily updates with complete cost breakdowns of every single initiative we did – everything was well-documented, with receipts,” she said.”"
More from Al Jazeera.
World Council of Churches denounces Israel’s apartheid and occupation, calls for divestment and sanctions
“Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa earlier this week, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued a bold statement naming the reality of apartheid in Israel, demanding the end of Israel’s occupation and the lifting of the unlawful blockade of Gaza, and calling on states and churches “to impose consequences for violations of international law, including targeted sanctions, divestment, and arms embargoes.”
The statement acknowledges the WCC’s commitment to “inter-religious dialogue and cooperation”—a nod to its Jewish partners, many of whom can be expected to condemn the statement. “However,” the text reads, “the unbearable suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza, and the escalating violence and oppression in the West Bank and in Jerusalem compel the global fellowship of churches to speak with clarity, urgency, and commitment to the principles of justice under international law and ethics.”
Despite spirited dissent during the CC’s formulation of the statement, leaders of the WCC declared that Israel’s actions “flagrantly violate international humanitarian and human rights law as well as the most basic principles of morality.””
More from Mondoweiss.
Three Israeli Ministers Admit Failure in Gaza, Urge End to War
“Three Israeli ministers on Wednesday admitted the failure of the military operation in the Gaza Strip, stating that the operation has so far yielded no practical results. They called for a shift in military strategy or working toward a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal to end the war.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the ministers made the remarks as the war in Gaza continues and Israeli losses mount due to ongoing Palestinian resistance operations, MEMO reported.
However, Channel 12 did not disclose the names of the ministers who made the statements.
The channel quoted the ministers as saying: “What we have done in Gaza may have theoretical potential, but in practice, it has not produced results.”
Also Read: Wildfire Near Tel Aviv Forces Evacuations in Ness Ziona
“A different military approach must be taken, or efforts should be made to end the war through a comprehensive agreement,” they added.
Separately, the channel reported that Israeli officials involved in indirect negotiations with Hamas stated that “everything is currently stalled. The Americans are enthusiastic, but the negotiations are not progressing as expected.”
“Anyone who thinks Hamas would rush into a deal following the strike in Iran does not understand its nature,” the officials said.”
Via Minanews.
Members of British Jewish body suspended after criticising Israel to launch appeal
“Thirty-six elected representatives to the UK’s largest Jewish organisation are to appeal against disciplinary action taken against them after they criticised the Israeli government’s operations in Gaza, and have said they remain “deeply concerned” about the war.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews announced on Tuesday that five of the group would be suspended for two years and 31 would be reprimanded for breaching its code of conduct after a two-month investigation.
In a statement released on Thursday, the group said they would appeal after taking legal advice. They “remain deeply concerned about the remaining hostages, the appalling humanitarian crisis and ongoing war in Gaza and the further deteriorating situation in the West Bank”, they said.
The five deputies who gave media interviews about an open letter that was published by the FT in April had received “the enhanced punishment of effective expulsion from the board” as they were suspended for the remainder of their terms of office, the statement said.
It was “the biggest mass disciplinary action in the board’s history, with over one in 10 elected board members disciplined”, it added.
The open letter caused a furore among British Jews amid growing divisions over the war and distress at the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. It said that “Israel’s soul [was] being ripped out” by military action that renewed in March, and that the signatories could no longer “turn a blind eye or remain silent” on the issue.”
More from the Guardian.
Gaza authorities say drugs found inside US-dispatched flour bags
“Palestinian authorities in Gaza said Friday that narcotic pills had been found inside US-dispatched flour bags in the Israeli-besieged enclave.
In a statement, Gaza’s government media office said prescription painkiller Oxycodone was found by Palestinians inside flour bags they received from US-run aid distribution points in Gaza.
“It is possible that these pills were deliberately ground or dissolved inside the flour itself, which constitutes a direct assault on public health,” it warned.
The media office held Israel fully responsible for this "heinous crime" aimed at spreading addiction and destroying the Palestinian social fabric from within.
“This is a part of the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinians,” it said, calling Israel’s use of drugs a "soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians.””
More from Andalou.
Israeli soldiers deliberately shoot at unarmed Gazans near aid sites: Report
“Israeli soldiers deployed in the Gaza Strip have been ordered to open fire on unarmed Palestinian civilians waiting for humanitarian aid, even when no threat was present, according to a detailed investigation published by Haaretz on Friday.
According to the Israeli daily, conversations with soldiers indicate that “commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear they posed no threat.”
“It’s a killing field,” one soldier told Haaretz. He said that in his position, “between one and five people were killed every day” by live fire instead of taking non-lethal measures for crowd control.
The revelations followed reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry stating that at least 549 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,000 wounded near aid centers and UN food truck locations since May 27.
The food sites in question are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an aid initiative reportedly coordinated by Israeli authorities, American evangelical groups, and private security contractors, according to reports.
An Israeli reservist told Haaretz that “Gaza doesn’t interest anyone anymore,” describing the zone as a lawless space where “the loss of human life means nothing.”
A senior reserve officer also told Haaretz: “When we asked why they opened fire, we were told it was an order from above … I can say with certainty that the people were not close to the forces and did not endanger them. It was pointless, they were just killed, for nothing.”
He added: “This thing called killing innocent people, it's been normalized.”
According to the report, the army’s “deterrence procedure” includes using mortars, machine guns, and live fire from tanks, even before aid sites open or long after they are closed.
In some incidents, “warning shots” turned into lethal strikes. One soldier recalled being ordered to fire a shell into a crowd near the coastline.
“Every time we fire, there are casualties and deaths,” he said. “And when someone asks why a shell is necessary, there's never a good answer.””
More from Andalou.
Netanyahu stops Gaza aid after Smotrich threatens to quit government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a halt to aid deliveries to northern Gaza after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to quit the coalition, citing unverified claims that Hamas was looting humanitarian supplies.
Smotrich reportedly made the ultimatum during a cabinet meeting, referencing a widely circulated video on social media showing armed men atop aid trucks. Although the footage was quickly seized upon by pro-government figures including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israel’s own military has been unable to confirm that the gunmen were affiliated with Hamas.
Haaretz cited media outlets in the Gaza Strip who reported that the gunmen are not Hamas operatives, but security guards sent by tribal leaders to protect aid truck convoys from looting. The aid documented in the video reached its destination – the UN warehouses in the Gaza Strip – and was distributed to residents
Despite this, Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the army to submit a “plan of action” within 48 hours to prevent what they described as Hamas “taking control of the humanitarian aid entering northern Gaza and stealing it from civilians.”
More from Middle East Monitor.
Israel’s attorney general rejects Netanyahu’s request to delay corruption trial
Israel’s attorney general on Friday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his corruption trial for two weeks, local media said, Anadolu reports.
Netanyahu had asked the Jerusalem District Court to delay his trial, claiming that he needed to focus on other matters following Israeli attacks on Iran, including the issue of returning Israeli captives from Gaza.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the court also rejected Netanyahu’s request and decided to keep the scheduled hearing set for next Monday.
The court judges determined that “the schedule presented by Netanyahu to try to delay his trial sessions does not justify canceling the hearings,” it said.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara earlier said that the reasons detailed by Netanyahu in his request “cannot justify canceling two weeks of hearings.”
As a result, Netanyahu is expected to appear before the court on Monday as planned.
More from Middle East Monitor.
100,000 Dead: What We Know About Gaza's True Death Toll
“Prof. Michael Spagat, an economist at Holloway College at the University of London, is a world-class expert on mortality in violent conflicts. He's written dozens of articles on the wars in Iraq, Syria and Kosovo, among others. This week he and a team of researchers published the most comprehensive study to date on the subject of mortality in the Gaza Strip.
With the aid of Palestinian political scientist Dr. Khalil Shikaki, the team surveyed 2,000 households in Gaza, comprising almost 10,000 people. They concluded that, as of January 2025, some 75,200 people died a violent death in Gaza during the war, the vast majority caused by Israeli munitions.
At that time, the Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip placed the number of those killed since the war's start at 45,660. In other words, the Health Ministry's data undercounted the true total by about 40 percent.
The study hasn't yet undergone peer review – it was published as a "preprint" – but its results are very similar to those of a study conducted by completely different methods and published last January by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. That group also estimated the disparity between the Health Ministry data and the true figures to be about 40 percent.
Another report, published this week by Matthew Ghobrial Cockerill, a history doctoral student at the London School of Economics, carried out for the organization Action on Armed Violence, also cites larger numbers than those of the Gaza Health Ministry. Cockerill and his team examined the names of 1,000 children out of 3,000 that the Health Ministry erased from its lists, and concluded that, despite the erasure, solid evidence exists that most of those children were killed.
The study by Spagat and his colleagues also tries, for the first time, to answer the question of excess mortality in the Strip. In other words, how many people died from the indirect effects of war: hunger, cold, diseases that could not be treated because of the destruction of the health system, and other factors.”
Full article at Haaretz.
Channel 4 to show Gaza war crimes documentary rejected by BBC
“Channel 4 will broadcast Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, a documentary laying out damning allegations that Israeli forces systematically targeted Gaza's hospitals and medical staff throughout their military campaign—allegations which would amount to grave breaches of international law.
"This is a meticulously reported and important film examining evidence which supports allegations of grave breaches of international law by Israeli forces," said Louisa Compton, Channel 4's Head of News and Current Affairs. "It exemplifies Channel 4's commitment to brave and fearless journalism," she added, announcing the move on Saturday.
Produced by Basement Films and originally commissioned by the BBC—before it was dropped—the film was later reviewed, verified and approved by Channel 4 following rigorous editorial checks.
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack will be shown on Channel 4 at 10pm GMT on Wednesday, 2 July.
The programme offers deeply disturbing footage and testimonies that show Gaza's doctors and paramedics were not only denied the protections afforded to health officials under international law but were also actively hunted, imprisoned, and even tortured by the Israeli army.”
More from Middle East Eye.
'Death to the IDF' chant echoes through Glastonbury Festival amid Gaza war anger
“A rap duo won praise at Glastonbury Festival after leading chants of “death to the IDF” during their Saturday performance, referencing the Israeli army, as pro-Palestinian sentiment surged among festivalgoers.
London-based group Bob Vylan delivered the chant multiple times while on stage, prompting many in the crowd—some waving Palestinian flags—to echo the words.
The performance came just before a scheduled appearance by Northern Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, whose vocal support for Palestinian rights has already drawn political scrutiny.
The BBC streamed Bob Vylan’s set live without censoring the chant or lyrics, though it later blocked the live broadcast of Kneecap’s set, alleging editorial guidelines.
Bob Vylan—comprising vocalist/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan—are known for fusing punk, grime and hip-hop with socially conscious themes. Their lyrics frequently address racism, mental health, and gentrification in Britain’s Black communities.
Earlier in the day, British-Turkish singer Nilufer Yanya’s set included a backdrop that read “Free Free Palestine”, and a banner supporting Palestine was unfurled on stage.
Tensions around Kneecap’s Glastonbury appearance had been mounting. One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, faces a terrorism-related charge after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a performance last year.
He has yet to enter a plea and is due in court on 20 August. In a May statement, Kneecap called the charge baseless and said they would “vehemently defend” themselves. Hezbollah is a proscribed group under UK law.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis defended the lineup, saying Glastonbury remains a space for diverse voices and that “everyone is welcome here”.”
More from Middle East Eye.
Gaza live: Israel kills over 50 as shooting of aid seekers persists
Israel has killed at least 79 more Palestinians in Gaza over the past 24 hours
Israel kills more than 90 in Gaza; 3 killed in Israeli settler attack
Four Palestinians including teenage boy killed in occupied West Bank by settlers, Israeli troops
Israel forces slaughter dozens in Gaza after seven soldiers killed
Israel kills at least 74 people in Gaza in the last 24 hours
Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in violent West Bank settler assault
Israel kills 72 and injures 174 Palestinians in the last 24 hours
Two Gaza infants die under Israeli siege amid baby formula shortage
51 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza Strip since Saturday morning
66 Palestinian children have died from acute malnutrition
Congratulations to Hamada Shaqour!
